BEIRUT: Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil expressed solidarity with Iraqi Christians Monday during a visit to the Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil and the capital Baghdad.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Iraq’s acting Foreign Minister Hussein Shahristani in Baghdad, Bassil said Lebanon and Iraq shared many common features, including a diverse social fabric.

Iraqi Christians, especially in Mosul and other northern parts of the country, fled after being given an ultimatum by the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) to either convert to Islam, pay a religious tax or face death.

“Our keenness to preserve Iraq stems from our keenness to preserve ourselves, because we are facing the same threats. The threat to our diversity,” Bassil said.

He warned that the onslaught against Iraq’s Christians was not a recent phenomenon, adding that the community has faced discrimination for over 20 years and has seen their numbers drastically dwindle.

“Christianity is in danger, and the new Iraqi government should secure all the requirements to preserve [Iraq’s] Christians, including security and economic measures,” he said.